


Master of All Trades

by WithTheKeyIsKing



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Defence Masters, Good Severus Snape, Healers, Healing Masters, Hogwarts Era, Mediwitches - Freeform, Mediwizards, Multi, Potions Masters, Pre-Hogwarts, Runes Masters, Smart Harry, Snarky Severus Snape, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 03:17:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6594496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithTheKeyIsKing/pseuds/WithTheKeyIsKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of the mysterious Alura Ollivander</p>
            </blockquote>





	Master of All Trades

Severus Snape was really grateful that the annual Potions Master Assemblage was only once a year, because if it was more often, he was very likely to attempt (and probably succeed) to kill every single person currently in the room with him.

Most of the other Potions Masters were well past their fiftiesmost in their hundredsso Severus was obviously the youngest one there. In fact, he was the youngest man to have gained his Mastery in one hundred and three years (he'd checked, having felt very cocky). However, perhaps he was wrong about that, because standing just across the room was a woman who looked younger than Severus was...which wasn't possible.

"Melvin," Severus said quietly, placing a hand on the other man's arm to get his attention. "Who is that woman? Is she lost?"

Melvin Whittaker was a Potions Master from America; he worked as a professor at Salem Institute of Magic, and was one of the few people in the world that Severus still truly respected.

And now, Melvin was beaming with pride, his chest puffing out and his smile wide. "That woman there is Alura Ollivander," Severus rose his eyebrows at her last name, "-she is twenty years old, took her NEWTS at _fifteen_ years oldgot O's in all of themafter being homeschooled her whole life, and currently has a Mastery in Potions, Defense, Healing, and just got her Runes. She works at St. Mungo's as the head of the trauma division."

Severus stared at the other man in front of him for a solid thirty seconds before he snapped out of his stupor, looking at Melvin incredulously. "You _can't_ be serious! It is _impossible_ to-" he stopped and calmed himself, "you said she took her NEWTS at fifteen, and she's twenty now? Each Mastery takes at least four years to complete. Unless she did her work for each of her four Masteries at the same timewhich is impossible with the amount of work requiredthen she is simply lying about her credentials."

Melvin's grin grew the more ruffled Severus became, even chuckling as the younger man finished. "Severus, do keep your head about you! She's not lyingshe did the work for her Potions Mastery and Defense Mastery in Salem; I helped her with the potions part. It only took her two years to complete both, and in the last year of that she started her Healing Mastery long distance with St. Mungo's. When she finished with Defense and Potions, she moved back to London and finished up her Healing Mastery, and after that she started her Runes. She's the most impressive witch I've ever seen."

Severus was stopped from replyingand really, what could he possibly say to that?when Melvin called Alura's name over the chatter of everyone else. The young woman _(only twenty! Bloody hell)_ turned and searched the crowd for the one who'd said her name, smiling when her eyes landed on Melvin. After excusing herself from the people she'd been talking to, Alura gracefully weaved her way through the crowd towards them.

"Master Whittaker!" Alura said pleasantly when she joined them, smiling at the old professor. "How are you? It's been far too long since we've seen each other; letters do not do you justice."

Melvin chortled, a hand holding his belly. "My dear, you flatter me! And how many times have I told you to call me Melvin?" Alura smiled politely at this, and then her eyes flickered to Severus curiously. Noticing, Melvin turned to Severus. "Master Alura Ollivander, my dear girl, please meet Master Severus Snape; he's a potions professor at Hogwarts! Very prestigious," he added conspiratorially.

Alura offered her hand to Severus. "Master Snape, the  _second_ youngest person to gain their Mastery in over a century. It's very nice to meet you." Severus stiffened at her words, but forced himself to relax when he saw no malice in her stance or expression, simply a bit of kind teasing, her eyes shimmering with mirth and something that seemed a lot like hope.

The young woman in front of him was quite pretty, Severus could admit, even though she was five years his junior. Her hair was brown and long, falling in un-styled waves to a place halfway down her back. Her eyes were oval in shape and blueone of the brightest blues Severus had ever seen. Her face was heart-shaped, her cheeks still retaining the tiniest amount of baby-fat. She held herself with clear confidence, her mere presence drawing the attention of everyone in the room when she walked by.

Severus delicately took Alura's hand when she offered it, inclining his back in a small bow of respect. "Master Ollivander," he said as he stood back up, "it is very nice to meet you, as well. I have heard of your exploits, and I have to say that I'm incredibly impressed. How did you manage to complete each of your Masteries in only two years? It's quite the feat."

Alura laughed, a sound like bells that made Severus warm inside, and shook her head slightly. "I guess it is kind of impressive," she admitted with a small grin, "but it's not as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be. I simply dedicated everything I was to completing them. You see, I was determined to have two of my Masteries by the time I turned twenty, and I breezed through the material so by seventeen I was done with both of them."

Severus shook his head in wonder. Not only was this woman brilliant, but she was modest about it. Severus usually hated when people were too modest or too cockyyou did what you did, nothing more and nothing lessbut Alura had a good mixture; she said that it was impressive, but also implied that anyone could do it if they put their mind to it. Where had this woman come from?

"That leads me to my next question, Master Ollivander: you took your NEWTS when you were fifteen, correct? How did you finished all of your schooling by then?" Severus inquired politely. He noticed that at some point Melvin had slipped away, but it didn't bother him too much; he already felt comfortable enough with Alura to carry on a conversation with her.

Alura rose her shoulders and then let them fall in a slow shrug. "I was home schooled, as you probably know, so my curriculum moved at the pace that I did. I just happen to move quite quickly," she smiled proudly at that, and Severus found himself understanding why Melvin had been so proud of his pupil.

"For what courses did you take your NEWTS?" Severus asked with genuine curiosity, like all of his other questions, instead of just asking for appearances sake like he usually did with everyone else.

Alura blinked at him in confusion. "All of them, of course." Severus stared at her. She shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"My apologies," Severus said, a small smile tugging at his lips, "it's just quite impressive, is all. Most people take maybe five or six NEWTS, and you took all twelve available; receiving all O's, if Melvin is to be believed. Tell me, did you take one for flying, too?"

The witch chuckled and rolled her eyes at his light teasing. "Of course not, but I've been told that I am quite the excellent keeper," she said, looking at him with mock superiority.

Severus snorted and rolled his eyes, but the corners of his lips were still turned up. It was strange; Severus had only just met this girl, and he already enjoyed her company. Severus rarelyif evertruly enjoyed being around someone, but Alura Ollivander was incredibly different; that fact was clear from just a short conversation with her. She was pretty, intelligent and proud of her accomplishments, but still humble, and clearly talented. Severus found himself thoroughly impressed, which was not something he could say often.

The two Potions Masters spent the rest of the night talking. They discussed everything from politics to creating potions to funny tales about stupid people they had come across in their travels. Strangely, Severus even talked about his Hogwarts experience when Alura asked, even though that was something he hated discussing because of so many horrible memories. In turn, Alura told him what is was like mostly teaching herself everything she needed to know, and traveling all over the world with her parents as she grew up.

She was the niece of Garrick Ollivander, the strange elderly man who owned the wand shop in Diagon Alley with the name _Ollivander's Wand Shop_. Her mother and father were a talented pair in regards to magicher father a Hogwarts Ravenclaw, her mother from Beauxbatonsbut since her paternal grandmother was a muggleborn, Alura was considered a half-blood to most, especially in pureblood society.

At the end of the night, when the Potions Master Assemblage was coming to an end, Severus was surprised to say that he really didn't want the evening to be over. He had truly enjoyed himself while spending time with Alura. The hours had flown by in the best possible way and he didn't want it to end. When the time for goodbyes came, Severus and Alura stood together as everyone else trickled out.

"It truly was a pleasure to meet you, Master Ollivander," Severus said kindly.

Alura smiled back. "Please, I think you can call me Alura; we did spend an awful amount of time together, after all." Severus inclined his head in assent, and Alura stuck her hand out to shake his. Severus took her hand in his, warm to his cold, and kissed her knuckles lightly.

The young woman blushed, but seemed pleased. When she did not draw her hand away, neither did Severus, so they stood in the entry way of the grand hall holding hands. The sun was setting behind where Alura stood, casting a warm glow around her and making her hair look like gold. Severus had never been one to believe in fairy tales or storybook moments, but Alura was leaning in slightly, and the whole world was absolutely perfect.

So of course he had to go and ruin it.

"Until we meet again, Master Ollivander," Severus said, not unkindly, pulling away.

Alura looked disappointed, her eyes sad, but nodded anyway and straightened up. "Of course, Master Snape. I hope to see you before the Assemblage next year." With that she gave a small smile, nodded once more, and then turned and left. The last thought Severus had was about how strangely upsetting it was to see her walking away from him.

* * *

Ramona Flitwick was a very stern witch. That was good, when one worked in the trauma department of St. Mungo's, because some patients could be quite aggressive and bull-headed when they wanted to be. It took a lot of strengthboth magically and mentallyto keep an Emergency Room in check; with everyone constantly moving, and life-threatening things happening left and right, a mediwtich (or mediwizard) had to always be on the top of his/her game.

When Ramona had first met Alura Ollivander, the middle-aged witch had immediately thought the girl wouldn't last more than a month as a Healer. The girl had only been seventeen at the time, and even with her incredibly impressive NEWT scores and her two  _(two!)_ Masteries, she seemed far too sweet and gentle to handle lots of injury on a regular basis.

Alura quickly proved her wrong. The young witch was amazingly skilled; she mastered everything she was taught within two tries after seeing it done, and didn't hesitate before jumping right into the dangers of the Emergency Room. She was focused when doing her work, never missing a step or forgetting anything. The patients all loved her, and so did the staff. Alura was one of the best witches in the entire hospital and everyone knew it.

Ramona had known of Alura before she joined the St. Mungo's staff, of course. In the last year of the girl working on her Defense and Potions Masteries in Massachusetts, she had started the work for her Healing Mastery long-distance. People had rarely done that before, since it was impossible to gain a Mastery without actual experience. So, Alura had gotten all of the written parts out of the way, and once she had her first two Masteries, she moved back to London and started the practical work for her Healing Mastery.

After having risen quickly through the hospital ranksfollowing trying her hand (and succeeding) in every specialtyAlura was now the Head Healer of the Trauma Division of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Even though Alura was more than twenty years her junior, Ramona didn't have any problem taking orders from the other witch. The girl was just too competent at what she did.

The night before, Alura had had the night off to attend the Potions Master Assemblage, a gathering that happened once a year in which Potions Masters from all across the world came together and discussed...well, no one really knew what they discussed, and probably couldn't keep up with it even if they did.

Even though Alura had gotten her Potions Mastery three years ago, she hadn't ever before attended one of these meetings, because both times she had been very busy working on her other Masteries. This year, however, Alura had been determined to go and introduce herself to the other people with the same title she held; so she had taken the night off, and Ramona was very interested to hear how the night had gone.

Alura came in around eight a.m. and began her morning rounds, checking on all of the people that were her patients, and even some that weren't. When she had finished that, she joined Ramona in the Emergency Room, greeting everyone with a polite smile. The young Healer talked with a nurse named Jacob Watts about the people who had been admitted to the E.R. last night, and then went to her small office to catch up on some work.

Ramona finished healing a small gash on a little boy who had fallen off his father's broomgiving him a chocolate frog for good measure (Alura was rubbing off on her)and then moved quickly towards Alura's office, knocking on the open door to announce her presence before entering. Alura looked up and smiled pleasantly at her, and Ramona smiled back, her expression filled with curiosity.

Alura laughed, clearly understanding what Ramona wanted to know, and gestured for the older witch to take a seat in the chair on the other side of her desk, facing Alura. "It was very similar to what I thought it would be," Alura began, "a bunch of men and woman who all felt that they were quite spectacular in their own right and wanted to let me know how good they were," she paused, a soft smile lighting up her features. "There were a few people I enjoyed talking to..."

Ramona easily understood the hidden meaning in Alura's words, and looked at her gently. "So who's the lucky man? Or woman; that's fine, of course."

The Head Trauma Healer startled and laughed. "Man; though I do appreciate you being so accepting, Ramona," she teased, still chuckling. "His name is Severus Snape, he's a Potions Professor at Hogwarts. Very prestigious," she added, as if it was a joke; Ramona didn't get the meaning if it was.

The graying-blonde frowned. "I've heard about him. My brother is a teacher at Hogwarts, too, as you know; he says that Snape terrifies all of the children and is a pretty rude person. What makes you like him?"

Once again, the soft smile came to Alura's lips. She shrugged halfheartedly. "He was kind and interesting and so very smart, Ramona. Yes, he was very sarcastic at times, but I've always liked men with a bit of fire in them. Honestly, 'Mona, I don't know what Filius is talking about. Master Snape was perfectly cordial the whole evening; we spent most of it together, so I know what I'm talking about."

With that, Alura turned back to the files on her desk and began writing, losing herself in concentration like she always did when she was focused. Ramona nodded and felt a smile come onto her face. Never before had she seen Alura talk about anyone she fancied, and now here she was with a crush on the dungeon bat professor of Hogwarts. Ramona didn't let herself get too consumed in her confusion; Alura was content, and that was all that mattered in this situation. Frankly, it was none of Ramona's business whom Alura dated.

The next month passed quickly, without either of the two Healers bringing up Severus Snape again. Alura was constantly busy, focusing all of her attention on her job at the hospital and the work for her Runes Mastery. A few times, Alura's close friends (Jacob Watt and Alissa Prewetta nurse and a mediwitch at the hospital) had to physically force Alura to go home and get a good night's sleep, since she had taken to sleeping at the hospital.

It was little over a month after that first night when Severus Snape came into the Emergency Room. Ramona was working at the main desk in the ER, going over charts with a Healer named Mikael Rostova. Alura was close to finishing up with a patient who had come in after accidently shooting himself with a muggle gun (honestly, Arthur Weasley was _way_ too obsessed with muggles) when the tall, dark-haired man came in.

Potions Master Snape was cradling his hand against his chest, his other hand blocking it, except for the stained blood on his robes. His face was scrunched up like he had tasted something sour, his dark eyes filled with poorly hidden pain. He walked up to the desk and scowled at Mikael and Ramona. Ramona glared right back, pulling on the attitude she reserved for the more difficult patients, and then led him to a bed and told him that a Healer would be right with him. His scowl deepened, but it didn't bother Ramona in the slightest.

"Alura," Ramona said calmly, entering the curtained off area where the younger witch was finishing off muggle sutures on Mr. Weasley _("you injure yourself like a muggle, you get healed like a muggle")._ "When you're done here, there's a patient in Bed Four that needs your attention; I think there's something wrong with his hand, but he's cradling it so tightly I can't get a good look."

Alura nodded absently and murmured her understanding, still focusing completely on Mr. Weasley's shoulder. Ramona smirked and walked away, winking at Jacob as she went to go and help another patient that had just run into the Emergency Room; she made sure to put him in Bed Five, directly next to where one Severus Snape was waiting, so that she could hear the conversation that followed. Petty, yes, but she didn't feel too bad about it.

"Okay, what seems to be the problMaster Snape!" Alura's voice was loud and clear from where Ramona stood, and she could practically picture Alura's flustered expression and the glare she sent over her shoulder to where she thought Ramona would be. "What is it I can help you with?"

"I seem to have injured my hand in a brewing accident," Master Snape's smooth voice explained. Ramona thought that she could hear a touch of softness as he spoke, but wasn't quite sure. "I got distracted and added one ingredient before it was supposed to be put in; the mixture exploded and caught my hand in its destruction. It was stupid of me, but other things had been on my mind."

"Let me take a look," Alura said gently, before Master Snape cursed and hissed in pain, and Alura quietly murmured an apology. "This isn't as bad as it looks," she explained, slipping into the voice she got when she was thoroughly focused, "all of the blood makes it look a lot nastier than it is. A quick cleaning spell...there, see? Still a bit mangled, but easily fixable."

There was about a minute of silence, and then Master Snapesounding very astonishedsaid, "how did you do that? You look like it barely took any energy, and you did it wordlessly. And it didn't hurt a bit."

Alura chuckled. "Most spells relating to healing I can do wordlessly, some of the less complicated I can do without a wand, as well. Fixing your hand was quite simple actually; I probably could've done it wandlessly..." there were a few moments of silence as Alura was lost in thought, and then, "anyway, you will need to do some physical therapy just to make sure your hand truly is alrightoh, don't give me that look, Severus Snape! It's not like you really have to _do_ anything; I'm simply going to give you a rubber ball that I want you to squeeze in your free time. In two weeks you will come back to me and I will check it out again, is that clear?" Alura's voice was stern, and Ramona waited with baited breath for Snape's reply.

"...Would you like to go to dinner with me?"


End file.
